Blogs and Commentary

LyndsLaxx Blog: Best and Worst of College Lacrosse

Lyndsey Munoz

This week, I found trying to find a topic difficult. This is
because we're in preseason and not too much is going on. I really
want people to know more about the college lacrosse experience, so
I thought of the one question I frequently get from people. "What
is the best and worst thing about playing lacrosse in college?"
This is a very difficult question to answer, especially for me
since I can't image a worst aspect of the sport. However, I think I
have come up with a pretty good answer to the question, which I
think many college lacrosse players would agree with.

I always like getting bad news before good news, so I'm going to
start with that. Also, I don't really like the word worst; it makes
this sound terrible and impossible. So, the most challenging thing
about college lacrosse I would have to say is preseason. Preseason
is the most challenging, because the time commitment is increased
for practice and workouts (you all saw our schedule). It's not just
the schedule, it's also that we're doing this for five straight
weeks without a game. There's nothing to really look forward to.
Also, it's winter (who likes winter anyway?), and the temperatures
drop and it's not so nice outside everyday. Yes, to many of you
questioning this, it does get cold in California and sometimes it
even rains. Then while this is happening, we still must keep up the
academic standards expected by us (at Stanford, we're on
trimesters, and many people load up on units in winter quarter
because we aren't in season yet). But........ (This is where it
gets better)

The BEST part of playing college lacrosse are my teammates.
They're the people that when you're just really struggling through
conditioning one morning will say, "lean on me" (Meredith
Kalinowski). Or when you're in lift and the weight is just really
heavy and you keep trying will say, "You can do it, let's go"
(Rachel Kalick). Or when you're about to run the run test say
"We're getting through this together" (Megan Lerner). Or will
literally pull you through the line (Anna Kim). Or even, when you
just simply don't know how to do a math problem, and will say "Let
me help you" (Rachel Ozer). I'm sure every team has great
appreciation for each other, but I truly believe that I have the
best teammates in the world. Each of them does different things for
myself, and the team to make the days better. Coming to practice
and being with my teammates can turn a bad day into a good day, and
a good day into a great one. I currently live with four of them --
Anna Kim, Megan Lerner, Maxine Luckett, and Rachel Ozer -- in a
dorm. Even though we don't directly room with each other, we live a
hall or a floor away. I am lucky enough to start and end my day
with them. I really feel that there is a family atmosphere on our
team, where I know that on any given day they will have my back.
Yes there are days where they become similar to that annoying
brother or sister (even the coaches feel like we're their children
sometimes), but at the end of the day it doesn't matter. And just
so you can get a taste of the team, here's some fun facts about all
of them:

Elizabeth Adam: She knows EVERY single quote from "Mean
Girls."

Annie Anton: She has one of the greatest voices I have ever
heard.

Anna Boeri: She loves the techno jams (so do I).

Emilie Boeri: She can draw/paint/photoshop some sick
pictures.

Carolyn Bradley: She can rap Lil' Wayne songs surprisingly
well.

Jackie Candelaria: She continues to be an inspiration to the
team off the field.

Hannah Farr: She casually just won a national championship with
the soccer team.

Maria Fortino: One of the hardest workers I know, I don't even
know how many other extra activities she does (there's a lot).

Kyle Fraser: She dislocated her shoulder after she shot the ball
absurdly hard this fall (Good thing I wasn't in when this
happened).

Rachel Hinds: She might have one of the best styles. Ever.

Rachel Kalick: She can make you laugh in a matter of two
seconds.

Meredith Kalinowski: She has seen several members of the show
"Jersey Shore" (I am SO jealous).

Anna Kim: She could kill someone with her SWAG.

Megan Lerner: You just need to meet her, and you'll find one
out.

Maxine Luckett: She gives the BEST massages.

Emily Newstrom: She eats SO slow (it's actually ridiculous).

Chinna O'Suji: She starts EVERY sentence with "wait" (even
emails).

Rachel Ozer: She's a kid genius.

Caroline Scanlon: She's a diva, for sure.

Catherine Swanson: She's one of the friendliest people I
know

Nina Swanson: She has some killer dance moves (her 'John Wall'
is perfection).

Kyra Vargas: This girl never stops smiling and/or laughing.

As you can see, everyone on our team brings something unique and
special to the table. Despite the challenges we face during the
preseason, we get through it because we have each other. ~Live.
Love. Lyndslaxx